✔️ | 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝘄𝗼 (#1, Lost and Found series)

45. The let me love you.- Sean

"Mmmm!" Olivia is curled around me and begins to scrape her nails against my back softly, and I'm about to lose my shit as a result. "God, I love it when you do that."

Her lips are pressed to my ear, and I'm lying on my side, facing her while she lays on her back, tantalizing, "I know you do."

"Babe," I groan, shifting my body as she continues to rake her nails over my back. The pressure is perfect, and she always does it just right.

Snuggled up in Olivia's warm green bedroom with her is my favorite place in the world. Well, any place with Olivia is, but here is where she's most vulnerable.

Here, her voice is silvery, her eyes are sweet, and her heart is open.

I like my own house, particularly now that she's done some work there, but her letting me in her home and heart is sacred.

When she has a good day, she walks around humming or singing. She makes peanut butter cookies and steals my clothes. She makes her eyelashes dark. She plays fetch with Snuggles in the back yard and hops on my back for a piggyback ride.

On the somber days, she takes Snugs for long walks, wears muted colors, her words are fewer, and she has no makeup. She's still beautiful and loving, but there's an evident tragedy in her eyes.

Those are the days she gets more hugs from me. Corny jokes and enduring episodes of Gilmore Girls. When she lets out a little sigh and melts into me, standing up on her tiptoes and smiling into our kiss; that's when I know I've hit my destination of Operation: Love on Olivia.

I blew off my family tonight to stay here with her. She seemed apprehensive that I canceled on them, but it will be fine. I'm excited about my brother Kieran's wedding next weekend, and they can meet her then.

Our eyes are locked on each other, and she's got her fingers in my hair now, rubbing slow circles as we lay facing each other. "Want me to go get dinner?" I murmur, placing kisses on the soft skin of the curve of her shoulder.

She shifts down to lay on her stomach, shaking her head. Her hand traces slow, idle circles on my chest, watching her hand make the pattern. "I can make dinner." Her fingertips touch the raised scar tissue on the crook of my elbow. "What's this from?"

She gets up on her knees and presses a featherlight kiss on my scar, making me sigh pleasurably. "Spencer stabbed me with a pencil when we were kids."

She gasps softly, touching it again with her wet lips. Her legs curl up behind her, sandy blond hair framing her face. She grins up at me, her mouth on my skin there.

I touch her face with my palm, and she leans against my hand, shrugging up her shoulder as it cradles between her face and shoulder. Her soft, beatific smile has me reflexively leaning in closer.

"What?" Gentle smile with a cute little freckle under her lower lip aimed at me.

Oh, nothing. I just think I'm in love with you.

"I don't remember being this happy before," I confess.

Liv's ocean blue eyes flick down to the comforter on her bed, and I finger some of the hair framing her face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." She shakes her head, and she moves to lie next to me again. "Just-I don't know."

Something shifted when we were at Will's house today, and her behavior is guarded. I don't know if it had to do with Kelly and me. I should probably call her and ask what she wants from me.

"What did you and Will argue about?"

"He commented on Jake, and I reacted poorly."

After a minute more of lying there, I grab her fingers with mine. "What do you think about turning on your fireplace and having some red wine?"

A slow, sexy smile crosses her face. "Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

While I get my shorts back on, she effectively snags my t-shirt and slips it over her head, then pulls on some shorts of her own. Snuggles trots after her like usual, trying to nose Liv's hand as she walks.

She flips on some music and pours red wine for us while I get her gas fireplace going. "Here you go, handsome." She holds the glass for me.

"Cheers, baby." I clink my glass to hers and pull her to me by putting my hand on her back, giving her a searing kiss.

She sips her wine and puts the glass down. "Dance with me?"

I put mine down too, and she puts her arms around my neck, her head on my chest.

There's been a thought stirring up in me all day. "Hey, Liv," I murmur.

"Mmhmm."

"Do you and Snuggles want to," I trail off. "Well, as you said, you wanted to get out of here, so I-I just."

Her gaze holds mine, and there's the weight of the world in there. Today is one of those somber days. Joshua Radin's "They Bring Me To You" plays while I pull her in tighter to acknowledge I'm there to help lighten the load. "If you guys want to move your things in with me, you're welcome at my place while you look for a new one."

Her nose wrinkles as she smiles, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "You want us to move in with you?"

"I know it's kind of fast, but given the circumstances..."

"Yeah, okay!"

"I just want you to feel safe and happy again."

"You do make me happy, Sean."

"How about after the wedding? You can pack stuff up this week, and we will get you settled."

The returning smile she gives me is so sickeningly sweet, I swear I would do anything for her. "Thank you."

She moves back into me, and we are wrapped up, swaying to the music. I lean down to meet her mouth with mine. "Thank you."